Housewarming Project

The Food Bank of Lincoln introduced the Housewarming Project in 2005 with three pilot agencies:
Friendship Home, Fresh Start and St. Monica's. The Food Bank invited women moving out of these
shelters into their own households to come to the Food Bank with their case worker to shop for 100
pounds of groceries. The Housewarming shoppers would also receive bags of household necessities
such as paper goods, cleaning supplies and laundry items.

In 2009, the Food Bank extended the Housewarming Project to include six additional agencies, also
opening the program to male clients as well as women. This expansion was due in large part to the
strong support for the program from the summer Campaign Against Hunger drives, with companies
making special efforts to collect items that make up the Housewarming bags. In five years, 327
Housewarming shoppers and over 480 additional family members have been served by the
Housewarming Project.